What to Say to Jacksonville City Council Members About Biking

Here’s the sample letter I drafted to send to the Jacksonville City Council. You can copy it and sign it and send it too, but I recommend that you personalize it as much as possible. However, our goal is to make sure that the city council gets flooded with these, so if all you have time to do is copy, paste and sign, then do that.

Dear City Council Member,

As you can see from this article, Duval County, Florida, is a dangerous place for biking. There are many of us who do ride in Jacksonville and we want to change this. For me personally, biking has been very beneficial. I have reduced my carbon footprint, improved my cardiovascular health, and have saved thousands of dollars. I know many other bikers whose lives have similarly improved as a result of biking. However, the dangerous climate in Jacksonville threatens our ability to read with a sense of peace.

We ask that you join us in taking steps to change that. We want to see the roads improved, and when those improvements are made, we want bike lanes added to the roads. According to Florida law, bicyclists have the same rights as motorists. Unfortunately, many Florida drivers deny bicyclists their rights. We feel that comprehensive education on bicyclists’ rights is essential to improving biking in Jacksonville.

Improved biking in Jacksonville is good not only for those of us who live and work here, it’s good for tourists as well. I would like to set up a time to come to your office and discuss this matter with you, face-to-face. I will follow up with a phone call in a few days.